In his keynote speech, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela explained how we can learn from the reconciliation process in South Africa. ©SEZ/Fotonoid
Peacebuilding in the midst of conflict? The ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and its impact on Burundi and Rwanda are a concern for the AMAHORO! country partnership. How peace can be achieved in such uncertain times was discussed at the BW-Burundi meeting at the Fair Handeln trade fair.
More than 70 committed and interested people came to the BW-Burundi meeting on 25 April 2025 at the Fair trade fairThey are all concerned about the current situation in eastern Congo and the impact of this war on Burundi and Rwanda. The question arose: How can peace processes be supported in such times?
A possible answer presented Dr. Siyabulela Mandela, who is a consultant for international development, peace, and human rights. In his inspiring keynote speech, he described how South Africa united and reconciled its diverse populations during the freedom struggle and the post-apartheid era. He emphasized that colonialism sowed conflict among people who previously lived together as a community. He sees this exploitation of diversity in particular as the cradle of the ongoing conflicts in Great Lakes Africa.
The panel discussed
- Augusta Muhimpundu, EIRENE International Christian Peace Service eV
- Raphael Nkurunziza, Youth Empowerment Leadership Initiative (YELI) & Réseau des jeunes pour la paix en Afrique des grands-lacs (RJP-GL)
- Herbert Geissbauer, Impulse for Hope eV
Father Dr. Déogratias Maruhukiro moderated the discussion. The focus was on how peace work can be carried out in Burundi given the current situation.
"When we come together, listen to each other, and try to understand the other perspective, we have fewer conflicts. Unfortunately, that's not easy during a crisis." For Augusta Muhimpundu, bringing people into dialogue with one another is essential for peace. Only by developing a shared understanding of history can conflicts be resolved jointly. This leads to sustainable peace.
Raphaël Nkurunziza brought a different perspective. Young people in particular are severely affected by a conflict, but they are given little attention. For this reason, he decided to work for peace with the YELI network. The goal of this network is to empower young people to engage in dialogue and promote peace.
Another form of peace promotion is created by the association Anstoß zur Hoffnung with Herbert Geissbauer. They use Sport as a unifying elementto bring young people together and train them to become peace ambassadors.
In conversation with Father Dr. Déogratias Maruhukiro
Father Dr. Déogratias Maruhukiro heads the Peace Work Cluster in the AMAHORO! State Partnership and works in the field of peace research at the University of Freiburg.
What does peace mean to you?
For me, peace is first and foremost the inner peace that brings me balance. Because if I have this inner peace, then I can also give peace to others. I cannot give something that I don't have. Inner peace is the foundation of all peace.
What do we need to promote reconciliation and peace within a society, but also between societies?
You need the ability to listen to others and engage in dialogue. In an active conflict, it's also necessary to be able to put myself in the other person's shoes. This way, I can understand why they have come into conflict with me.
There's currently a conflict in eastern Congo that also involves Burundi and Rwanda. At the BW-Burundi meeting, we asked ourselves the question: How can we create peace while the conflict is still ongoing? What is your answer to this question?
We can do peace work during a conflict by creating and facilitating spaces for exchange and peace. Enabling people to engage in dialogue is peace work in itself. We try to encourage people to engage more in contact with one another, whether online or in person. Encounter is the foundation of peace.
To advance dialogue in Great Lakes Africa, you founded a network of young people. What is this network called, and what does it do?
As part of our “Peace Work” cluster, we co-founded this new network. It is called Réseau de Jeunes pour la Paix in the région des Grands-Lacs RJP-GL (Youth for Peace in Great Lakes Africa). This network facilitates dialogue between young people from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. We are trying to create a kind of Safe Space, a meeting place for young people to accomplish.
There is already some tension between Rwanda and Burundi. The borders are closed. There is a war in eastern Congo involving Burundi and Rwanda. This Network of young people acts as bridge builders for peace in and between these countries. We try to support, encourage and empower them to take action against hate messages circulating on social media. In order to create a kind of Detoxification of messages create.
We also offer the Colloquia Youth for PeaceYouth for Peace. In 2023, we offered the first colloquium in Burundi, bringing together young people from Burundi, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last year, the colloquium took place in Eastern Congo. And this year, we are trying to offer the colloquium in Rwanda. We have noticed that when young people come together, a kind of trust exists between them. They see each other as friends, neighbors. We must grow together and promote peace together. That is what we have achieved, and that is what we want to continue. To continue building these bridges of peace. to create an identity for Great Lakes AfricaOur goal with the network is for young people to say: We are equal, we want to grow together, we want to find peace together.
Encounters are very important. There are also encounters between people from Baden-Württemberg and people from Burundi. The AMAHORO! state partnership has existed for over 40 years. How can this partnership contribute to promoting peace?
War and peace are important issues around the world. Not only in Africa, but also in Europe, especially when we consider the conflict in Ukraine. People in Baden-Württemberg no longer have any experience with war, having lived in peace for over 50 years.
You can learn something from the people on the ground in Burundi: How do you create peace and foster mutual understanding? Then Burundi can teach the people in Baden-Württemberg something about diplomacy. And how to deal with conflicts. That's also important. Another thing is that many committed people in Baden-Württemberg are working for peace. Many projects are very important. Peace isn't everything. But without peace, everything is nothing. That's why I'm calling on many people to participate in and support this peace work, especially this new network; for peace work, not just for Burundi, but for the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Thank you.